NLRB General Counsel Explains Broad Non-Disparagement Provision Violates Labor Relations Act
The office of the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel has released an advice memorandum finding an employer violated federal labor law by requiring employees to sign a broad non-disparagement agreement at the time of hire, according to a Kramer Levin post.
The memo referred to a case in which a law firm required all newly hired support staff and attorneys to sign an employment agreement containing a non-disparagement provision, according to the post’s authors, Kevin B. Leblang and Emily M. Wajert.
The GC rejected the law firm’s reasoning for the broad provision, explaining that “[t]he employer’s asserted interest . . . is not a unique interest nor strong enough to outweigh the significant interference the [provision] has with employee rights.”